The emperor Charlemagne organized a military bishopric there in 800. The town struggled for independence from the bishopric, joined the Hanseatic League in the 13th century, and thrived as a trading centre. The bishopric was secularized in 1648, when it passed with the town to Brandenburg. Minden was fortified by Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia in the mid-18th century. Although it was held briefly by the French in the Seven Years’ War, it reverted to Prussia after the victory of the British and Hanoverians at the Battle of Minden in 1759. It passed to Westphalia in 1807 but became Prussian again in 1814.

An important road and rail traffic centre, Minden is at a junction of waterways, where the Mittelland Canal aqueduct bridges the Weser. Chemicals, ceramics, electrical goods, paper production, metalworking, and woodworking are important to the city’s economy. Other significant economic activities are based on farming and cattle breeding in the surrounding area. Minden’s economy also relies on federal and state administrative functions.

The 11th–13th-century Gothic single-nave cathedral and the early Gothic town hall were severely damaged in World War II (as were other buildings in the historic city centre); both have been rebuilt. The medieval churches of St. Martin and St. Mary and a number of “Weser Renaissance” houses survived. Minden features a municipal museum, with exhibits on local history, crafts, and customs, and an amusement park. Pop. (2003 est.) 82,947.

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